STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION, CHALLENGES AND EXPERIENCES IN DESIGNING VIDEO PRESENTATIONS VS. DELIVERING ORAL PRESENTATIONS IN AN ESP COURSE FOR SOCIAL SCIENCES

Abstract

This paper has two primary goals: 1) to help students understand the effectiveness of using videos; and 2) to promote students’ motivation, interactivity, creativity and communication by designing their own video. The study was conducted at South East European University (SEEU) with 14 students. They were ethnic Albanian students, between 18 and 20 years old, who come from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds, but who were all enrolled in the ESP course for Social Sciences 1. Students were given the task of selecting a topic that is professionally linked to their field of study. They were then instructed to deliver an oral presentation in class according to established criteria from rubrics, and to produce the same presentation at home by using a video with self-evaluation rubrics. I conducted a survey comparing the motivation, experiences and challenges students faced while delievering an oral presentation in class vs. video-recorded presentations made at home. The preliminary research findings showed that most of the students were motivated to create their own videos because they were not limited by time or place: the asynchronous learning allows students to access materials, and to practice their skills, at any time that works for them. The majority of the students found this pilot project very interesting and engaging because it helped them develop their communication skills as well as to become more autonomous in learning English.